On a slightly different tack, I remember many years ago on a very in depth programme about the Falklands War, Al Haig, who was very pro British, stated that Reagan had offered the use of a large American carrier to the British government but that Thatcher had turned the offer down. Had it been accepted, it would have been interesting to see how, under the stresses of a war, it would have taken pilots to have retrained to land Phantoms and Buccaneers on a carrier deck, most of them presumably without previous experience, and would these longer range aircraft been used to attack the Argentine mainland. I recall that Thatcher made it clear to Galltieri that she would not rule out the use of nuclear weapons.
There was another large traditional British carrier, the Bulwark I believe, in the reserve fleet at Portsmouth at the time, however I gather that the time taken to restore it to operational status was prohibitive.
Don’t forget that we still have HMS Ocean, the largest ship in the Royal Navy, which I’m sure is planned to take Harriers, even GR-9’s, in times of emergency, ie, a situation like Sierra Leone.
Incidentally if Argentina is sabre rattling, what have they increased their airforce with and what is the point, they may be able to accomplish some bombing, but I reckon that there is always a nuclear sub lurking around there, they haven’t much else to do these days, not worth sending the fleet out is it.
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